Plant Finder

Other Names:  Korean Rhododendron

Description:

A truly beautiful deciduous azalea covered in bright pink flowers in spring before the leaves, upright habit, one of the hardiest varieties; absolutely must have well-drained, highly acidic and organic soil, use plenty of peat moss when planting

Ornamental Features

Cornell Pink Rhododendron is smothered in stunning clusters of pink trumpet-shaped flowers at the ends of the branches in early spring before the leaves. It has green foliage throughout the season. The narrow leaves turn yellow in fall. The fruit is not ornamentally significant.

Landscape Attributes

Cornell Pink Rhododendron is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Cornell Pink Rhododendron is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Cornell Pink Rhododendron will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It requires an evenly moist well-drained soil for optimal growth, but will die in standing water. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the leaves in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.